Little Giant 9200

I will be the first to tell you that LG is a hated bator on this website. I have one and I am fortunate to say that I have never had a problem with it until this year. The water is leaking through the entire bottom tray and there are no cracks that are visible with the naked eye. However, I did find a plactic tray insert for the LG for $10 that I will be purchasing this week. If that doesn't work, they sell replacement bottoms for $15. I may go ahead a order both just for grins. I think the LG could be a good bator if you have the patience to work with it. The temperatures are very hard to stabilize. After I got my to the correct temperature the first time, I marked it with a Sharpie so I could set it up again with relative ease. I hope this help you make up your mind. I forgot to tell you though, mine is the forced air LG not the thermal air. Also, just my two cents, for just a few dollars more you can get a still air Hovabator. Hovabator rocks! I have the 1588 and if I ever buy another bator, I'll get another one of those. The 1588 is more expensive but Hovabator does off quality bators at all prices.
 
I would buy a Brinsea or a hova bator. The LG is not going to last long, and it is not the best bator. I have only had my LG for one year and the thermostat control went crazy and killed 60 something chicks in their eggs, and 2 that had already hatched. I am not going to trust ti again so I put a new thermostat on it and I changed the fan, and now it works fairly well, but I have a ton of humidity issues. If you plan on hatching game birds this is definitely not the incubator for you. Mine leaks too, but I have put boat patches in the water rings to keep it from leaking. They are a mess to clean without the fiberglass boat paint I used.
 
I have two still air ones that are going in the trash as soon as I finish this hatch, that is how much I hate them
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I have only had them a couple months too. I have had the worst hatch rates ever even with following everyone's tried and true advice. They are just too high maint. I cannot maintain the humidity no matter what or who's method I try; the temperature spikes then drops in a room where the temp remains constant. I have lost 60 eggs with only 6 babies to show for my efforts. I love them to death, but that really is a ridiculous percentage. I sucked it up and spent $300 on a new Brinsea Oct 20 Advanced. The temp has held, the humidity is held and it turns the eggs. I will turn off the turner, add another cup of water on Day 18 and let it go. Just my two cents....
 
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I got tired of ridiculous prices and horrible incubators so I am making my own cabinet. It will cost less than a Brinsea or Hovabator with a fan kit. The electrical parts were $57.50 and the wood was $48.16 so it will be around $110 for the whole thing once I add the cost of the plexiglass.
 
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That is really awesome! The first incubator I used was homemade (Silkiechicken's) and it worked great. I am horrible at building things and there is no way my husband is signing up for that project
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I have 2 little giants. I have had good results but only because I monitor the things like a hawk. I also bought a digital thermometer at Wal Mart that reads to .1 degree that makes for accurate adjustments. I had good results hatching out both duck and Cochin eggs. I now have a new Hovabator Genesis with turner and will only use the little giants for the last 3 days when I don't need a turner. Little giants work but require vigilance to get good hatch rates. I don't think most people can make a good incubator themselves so I went with the Hovabator.
 
My LG9200(no fan kit or turner) works great, except for an operator malfunction during the first couple days of my first ever incubation. Humidity and temperature are not issues, espescially if you follow the guide book and do a good setup run before putting eggs in to set. I think most people that have problems with them either opted for the turner & fan kit, or they didn't do the test run on them. In my test run I found out: 1) After opening the lid to turn the eggs and then closing it again, it takes roughly 3-5 minutes for it to get back to temp. 2) if you want the humidity to be in the appropriate lower range during the first 18 days, you MUST have the 2 red vent plugs removed andf only fill either the center ring or the two channels with warm water. You replace at least one plug and fill the ring and channels just before LOCKDOWN on the 18th day.
Other than thes couple things, which are not a problem for us(or stay at homes), it runs like a dream!
 
okay doesn't look like im going to be getting this. It was the only incubator at my local farm store ( the only one on the island) so i guess i'll just have to order one or get my hen to go broody.

What is a relatively cheap incubator that is also reliable that can hold about 18 eggs?

Also for the Brinsea Octogon 20 Eco and Hovabator Genesis 1588 do they have automatic turners?
 

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